A needle is known which is hollow and has an opening at its pointed tip so that as the goods are formed by knitting or crocheting a so-called weft filament passing axially through the needle and extending out through its tip can be inserted or laid into the needlework thus formed. To this end a flexible extension tube may form an elongation of the rear end of the needle to constitute a guide for the filament being inserted. This extension simultaneously serves to hold the chain or row being worked on.
Such a needle arrangement is intended either for knitting or crocheting, with or without an inlay. When these two styles of needlework are mixed it is necessary to switch needles, something that is impossible when there is an inlay filament.
Another disadvantage of the known systems is that they can only be used to lay weft filaments into relatively coarse knits or crochets. In fine knits and in so-called Tunisian crocheting and inlay crocheting the relatively fat inlay needle makes too large a hole. In addition only relatively thin filaments can be laid in, as thick ones cannot be accommodated in the passage through the inlay needle.